Your rights when you move: valuation, claims and arbitration
What an interstate mover owes you if something is lost or broken — full value protection vs. 60 cents a pound, the 9-month claim window and free arbitration.
Interstate movers must give you FMCSA's booklet “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” with your estimate (49 CFR 375.213). Its full text is Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 375. This guide summarises the parts people most often need: how much the mover is liable for, how to file a claim, and what to do if you disagree.
Two levels of liability
Full Value Protection is the default. Under it the mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods, up to the declared value of the shipment, and may repair, replace or pay for an item (49 CFR 375.201). Movers charge for this coverage, and the price depends on the declared value and any deductible you choose.
Waiver of Full Value Protection — Released Value costs nothing extra but pays very little: no more than 60 cents per pound per article. A 10-pound laptop destroyed in transit would be worth $6 under released value. You only get released value if you choose it in writing.
Things that reduce the mover's liability
The rights booklet lists situations where the mover's liability can be limited even under full value protection, including:
- Packing perishable, dangerous or hazardous materials without telling the mover.
- Choosing released value but shipping goods worth more than 60 cents a pound per article.
- Declaring a shipment value lower than the actual value of its contents.
- Failing to tell the mover in writing about any article worth more than $100 per pound, such as jewellery, art or collectibles. If you list them in writing, you can recover up to their declared value.
Inventory and delivery
The mover must prepare a written, itemized inventory of every carton and uncartoned item, and give you a signed copy with the bill of lading at or before loading. At delivery you must be given the chance to check that the same items arrived, and to note in writing anything missing or damaged (49 CFR 375.503). Note damage on the inventory before you sign it. Don't sign a delivery receipt that releases the mover from all liability.
Filing a claim
You have 9 months from delivery (or from when delivery should have happened, if everything was lost) to file a written claim with the mover or its claims insurer. The mover must acknowledge the claim within 30 days and give you a disposition — payment, offer or denial — within 120 days, with 60-day extensions allowed if it notifies you in writing. Keep photos, receipts and your copy of the inventory.
Arbitration if you disagree
Every interstate household-goods mover must offer a neutral arbitration program for disputes about loss and damage and about extra charges billed after delivery. The mover must tell you about it before you sign the bill of lading, and it can't make you agree to arbitration before a dispute arises. If you request arbitration for a claim of $10,000 or less, it is binding on the mover; above $10,000 it is binding only if the mover agrees. The arbitrator must decide within 60 days of receiving written notice of the dispute (49 CFR 375.211).
Payment and delivery
The mover must tell you in advance what forms of payment it accepts at delivery. It must release your goods when you pay 100% of a binding estimate or 110% of a non-binding estimate, plus any services you added after the bill of lading and up to 15% for impracticable operations. Refusing to deliver after that is holding your goods hostage. See our guide to binding and non-binding estimates.
Where to complain
File complaints with FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database (1-888-368-7238). FMCSA uses complaints to target enforcement, though it does not resolve individual claims — for that, use the mover's claims process, arbitration, or small-claims court. The DOT Inspector General takes fraud reports at 1-800-424-9071.